I cover breaking market news and, separately, personal finance for millennials. Got my training on the beat from TODAY show financial editor Jean Chatzky along with my own cornucopia of student loans. They say the best way to learn is by doing, and when it comes to this exercise in student debt, I’m a (reluctant) doer. Penn alum, Philly-area native, millennial-defending millennial.

Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson easily beat the Street with its first quarter earnings results Tuesday morning, reporting a 3.5% lift in revenue and a near-8% jump in profit thanks to strong sales in its prescription drug segment. As a result of the strong earnings figures, shares of Johnson & Johnson are trading higher Tuesday and the company has lifted its full-year outlook.

Johnson & Johnson, the maker of medicines like Tylenol and consumer products like Aveeno and Listerine, reported $18.1 billion in first quarter revenue, beating Street estimates of $17.99 billion and coming in 3.5% above the $17.5 billion reported for the first quarter of 2013. The company’s net income came in at $4.4 billion, a 7.8% increase over the same time last year and resulting in earnings of $1.54 per share, easily beating the analyst consensus of $1.48 in earnings per share.

The company’s results were boosted by its worldwide pharmaceutical sales, which grew 10.8% to $7.5 billion. Though Johnson & Johnson said products like Aveeno and Listerine were positive contributors to that worldwide sales figure, the company said the primary contributor to the sales growth were prescription drugs like Stelara, a drug used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, HIV drug Prezista and multiple myeloma treatment Velcade. Growth in these areas helped offset the negative impact of patent expirations for Aciphex, a proton pump inhibitor used for gastrointestinal disorders, and Concerta, a drug used to treat ADHD.

“Johnson & Johnson delivered strong first-quarter results driven by successful new product launches and the continued growth of key products,” Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson chairman and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday morning. “Our talented colleagues around the world continue to bring meaningful innovations to patients and customers, addressing significant unmet needs. We also advanced our near-term priorities and long-term growth drivers, positioning us well to deliver sustainable results.”

After releasing lower-than-expected full-year guidance in its fourth quarter 2013 earnings results in January, Johnson & Johnson raised that forecast on Tuesday, saying it now expects full-year earnings to fall somewhere between $5.80 and $5.90 per share, excluding the impact of special items. The company had previously forecast full-year earnings in the $5.75 to $5.85 range.

Following the earnings beat, shares of Johnson & Johnson rose in Tuesday’s pre-market trading session and opened at $98.43 per share, up from Monday’s close of $97.14. Year-to-date, shares of the company are up 6.7%.

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